Episodes
24: Two First Appearances ft CasuallyComics!
Very special guest Sasha from Casually comics comes along for a chat about the malevolent Mad Hatter and crack photographer Vicki Vale! 75 Years of Batman (Kindle) Mad as a Hatter (Wikipedia) Mad Gas...
23: How Two-Face Began
We’re joined by special guest Jameson from A Comic Book A Day to go over the first appearance of the duke of duplicity, Two Face!! Geroge Russous (Blog Post) Detective #66 (DC Universe Infinite) Ba...
22: Penguin
We’re joined by special guest Sal from ComicPOP to go over the first appearance of the pompous waddling master of foul play, the Penguin! Detective Comics #58 (DCU Infinite) Creators of the Super H...
21: Clayface
Brian and Alex Discuss Clayface in person! A brief overview of various iterations of clayface, and a read of the very first appearance of Clayface. A fun episode! Silver Age Origin: Detective Comic...
Bonus: Dickens, Genre Fiction, and Batman With Dr. Jennifer Conary
On This Bonus Episode, we're thrilled to have Dr. Jennifer Conary joining us! We discuss Dickens (to contextualize episode 20 and Batman: Noel) and victorian genre fiction in the vein of Batman. You ...
20: Scrooge in Gotham: Batman Noel
On this very special Christmas episode, we cover a retelling of “A Christmas Carol” that has become a modern classic in its own right: Batman Noel. In standard Bat Lessons fashion we go way too deep,...
19: Gotham By Gaslight
Batman tracks down the infamous serial killer: Jack the Ripper! Brian and Alex continue their Victorian era arc, chatting about the history behind the murderer. We also cover the acclaimed graphic no...
18: Spring-Heeled Jack
We travel back to Victorian England to take a look at the terror of London, Spring-Heeled Jack! Who is this mysterious figure, and did they inspire Batman? Institute of Fiscal Studies Report Mike D...
17: Catwoman
The Golden Age Catwoman: was she always an integral part of the Batman Universe? We learn together about her introduction and how the character evolved with time. Catwoman Fan Blog Creators of the ...
16: When Batman Wasn’t Needed
Today we cover Alex's favorite single issue of Batman: Detective Comics 567. "The Night Of Thanks, But No Thanks!" by Harlan Ellison. This is a great comic with a unique backstory!
15: The Grim Joker
Was the Joker plagiarized? Brian and Alex dive deep on possible inspirations for the clown prince of crime. The Shadow Reprint (Batman Issue) Charon's obol (Wikipeda - Coins on Eyes) ...
14: Steve Shives Judges By The Cover
We're joined by special guest Steve Shives to take a look at the first batch of comic book covers featuring Batman. Steve Shives (Youtube) Tier List (Wikipedia) S Ti...
13: Joker
The clown prince of crime, THE JOKER! We cover what the creators said about his inception, some of the inspirations, and the first Joker story. Creators of the Superheroes (Book - Thom...
12: Robin
Introducing the Boy Wonder. Interview with Jerry Robinson (Blog) Interview with Jerry Robinson (Video) Interview with Jerry Robinson (Radio) Creators of the Superhero...
11: Origin Part 2
Brian goes a little too deep covering more origin stories for Batman. Everything from 1989 to 2022 and some awful Golden age stories to boot. DC Universe Infinite Batman Year One Batman The Animated ...
10: Corrections & Feedback
A look back on the first year of Bat Lessons. We read letters and comments from listeners, set the record straight on some errors, and delve into some hallmark Bat Lessons tidbits. Bat Lessons On Y...
9: Origin Part 1
A quick survey of every single retelling of the Batman origin, from 1939 to 1989. DC Universe Infinite Batman The Golden Age (Book) Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (wiki) Super Powers Team Ep. ...
8: The Batman (2022) Part 2
We continue the conversation on the Matt Reeves directed Batman movie starring Robert Pattinson. The Batman Blu-Ray Matt Reeves Dolby Interview, Cinematography Matt Reeves Dolby Interview, Audio Befo...
7: The Batman (2022) Part 1
We dive deep on the Matt Reeves directed Robert Pattinson starring batman movie. The Batman Blu-Ray Matt Reeves Dolby Interview, Cinematography Matt Reeves Dolby Interview, Audio Before The Batman (P...
6: Halloween
All things spooky and creepy golden age Batman! Including a lengthy segment on Dracula, the origins of World’s Finest, and the first appearance of the Scarecrow The Darkest Knight By Thom Andrae (Ess...
5: Batarang
We discuss Gardner Fox, Shelly Moldoff, The Utility Belt, Batarang, Bat-Plane and more! Gardner Fox (Wikipedia) The Creators Of Batman (Book) Batman The Golden Age (Book) Sheldon Moldoff (Wikipedia) ...
4: Marc Tyler Nobleman
This month we’re talking to Marc Tyler Nobleman . Marc is the author of 86 books ranging from colorful and funny children's fiction about chupacabras to incredibly moving all ages non-fiction about r...
3: Creation Of Batman
Alex and Brian talk about inspirations for Batman, the creation of Batman, and credit for that creation. Then we read Detective Comics #27 together and talk about inspiration for that story specifica...
2: The Road To Batman
This month we discuss all of the history that leads up to Batman’s creation. What’s a Comic? When was the first Comic created? Where did superheroes come from? Join us as we set the stage for Batman’...
1: How Big Is Batman?
Brian and Alex introduce themselves, and talk about what the show is going to be. Why bother talking about the history of Batman? And how much are we signing up for? Clearly the topic is big… but how...
0: Trailer
Stay tuned for the first episode of Bat Lessons, The Batman History Podcast. Trailer Voice Over by Rob Milton Podcast Artwork by Sergio R. M. Duarte Podcast Music by Renzo Calma